Tractor.



H. ULERICH.

TRACTOR.

APPUCMIUN ruin MAR. 2s. 19u.

Patented July 23, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 H.ULER1(JH.

TRACTR.

APPucAUoN mw MAR. zu. |911` Patented July 23, 1018.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY OLERICH, OF OMAHA,

NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTEENTH TO VIOLA OLERICH, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, AND JOSEPH OLERICH, H. A. OLERICH, HARMON OLERICH, VICTOR OLERICH, ROBERT OLERICH, MARTHA RICKE, HENRY BICKE, WILLIAM RICKIE, BEN RICKE, ANTON RICKIE, FRANK BRINKER, EARL OLEBICH, ANB FRANK VAN ERDEWYK, ALL OF BREDA, IOWA.

TRACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 28, 1917. Serial No. 158,089.

To all fwwm t muy concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY OLEiuCi-I, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tractors, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to an improvement in tractors. and has for its object, broadly to provide a tractor adapted for use in plowing, cultivating or drawing loads, to dispense with animal power for farm work or general use.

Another' object is to provide a tractor which will consist of few and simple parts so that it will be durable and may be economically manufactured. i

Another object is to provide means for conveniently increasing or decreasingr the weight of the tractor. Other objects in `view relate to means which may be conveniently operated by the driver for controlling yplows and cultivators and adjusting the mounting of their beams to u required height.

With the foregoing objects in view and others to be mentioned hereinafter, the invention presents a novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein,-

Figure l is a plan View of the tractor, a air of cultivators being attached thereto.

ig. 2 is a rear end view of the tractor on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the front wheels and their axle being omitted.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a vertical adjusting-screw and its bearings for adjusting the height of a cultivator or plow beam. Figfi is a plan View of a couplingplate and its bearings, said bearings and the adjusting-screws being in section. Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view in side evation of the adjusting screw, the coupling plate being in transverse section on line 6-6 of Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a plan view similar to the view shown in Fig. 4, showing a pair of plow-beams mounted upon the couplingplate.

I provide a vehicle frame Q of substantially U-shape which provides bearings for the main axle 3 of the tractor wheels fi, the frame being provided with a pair of crossstrips 5 for a mounting thereon of an engine b. Numeral 7 indicates a pair of guidewheels provided with peripheral ridges 8, theaXle 9 therefor having suitable bearings (not shown) below and at the front of the frame. The frame is also provided with a cross-strip 10 upon which is mounted a drivers seat 11; and steering of the tractor is accomplished by means of the shaft 12 provided at its front end with a niiter gear 13 engaging the disk-wheel 14 which operates a vertical shaft 15 for causing the required swinging movements of the axle 9 for steering. Numeral 16 indicates an index which may be visible by the driver as an aid in guiding the tractor, said index being mount` ed upon the upper end of the shaft 15:

The engine shaft is indicated at 17, said shaft having suitable bearings and provided at its ends withV pinions 18 in engagement with the gear-wheels 19, the latter being mounted rigid with the tractor wheels, and as thus described the tractor may be under Aconvenient control and may be moved on comparatively short curves.

In order that the tractor may be used for drawing heavy loads I provide a pair of weight-holders, consisting in part, of the transversely disposed bar 20 supported in recesses 21 formed in the upper side and near tlie rear ends of the frame, and secured thereto, its outer ends being provided with loops 22, the pair of transversely disposed arms23 also bein employed, each having its inner end suita ly mounted in the frame and provided with a brace 24, the outer ends of said arms 23 preferably being bent to a loo'p form 25 conforming to the loops 22. Numeral 26 indicate elongated Weights which may be deposited in the loops, the latter being disposed in a plane outwardly of, equi distant from and below the rear axle, so that the center of gravity will be disposed Patented July 23, 1918.

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eom[n\ratively low, and that the wheels` will suit ably engage the ground.

VIn order that the tractorl may be used tor a variety of purposes, meansl are provided tor attaching plows, cultivators or other im plements or objects to be drawn, the object being to provide a substitute for animal power particularly useful to farmers.

I provide for this purpose an under: rame consisting o a pair of sections, each preterably, being a casting` and including a horizontal arm or bar 2T which is secured by suitable keepers 2S to the cross-strips 5 of the frame, the remaining part ot cach seetion consisting of a vertical bar .29 which extends downwardly from the rear end of the bar Q7, and the inclined brace 30 which connects the lower end ot the last named har with the bar 27, a bose` or head-piece 3l being provided at the junction ot the bars 2i' and Q9 for a mounting of the upper, smooth part of an adjusting screw 32. the inner side of each bar 29 bein-g provided with :t ridge 33.

The sections thus described provide a very strong construction for all stresses' directed longitudinally ot' the vehicle by objects to bc drawn, an L-shaped bar 3l being pro vided for each section, and having a ridge 35 formed on its inner'I side, and each bar 3l being removably secured at its upper end to a head-piece 31 by keepers 31'. its lower ond being removably secured by keepers il? to a bar 30.

At 88 is indicated a coupling-plate. its ends operating as bearing-nicmbere since. as best shown in Figs. 4 and 7` they have threaded apertures tor engaging the screws 32 and are provided with grooves 9 for receiving the ridges 33 and 35 mentioned, and it will be understood that by use of cranks t0 the coupling-plate may be elevated or lowered to a required height for a mounting of a clevis 41 for the plow-beams ninner` ons apertures 43 being pro"ided Jfor connect.- ing the @levis or other parts thereto of ob jects to bc drawn and which may n quire different altitudes.

Numeral 44 indicates a tongue-member or bitching attachment for the couplingplate. lt is substantially ot V-shape, its armsn'at their terminals being secured to the couw pling-plate by bolts lo, aid attachment also being provided with a` lmnger 4G provided willi a hook 47 adapted to engage the axle 3, and member lt may be used tor a connection with various objects to be drawn.

,Numeral 48 indicate lugs or pins arranged in pairs, these being secured upon the inner side if `he side-bars of the 'trame i'or a mounting thereon of the yoke if) olf a shaft 5() which supports a sleeve b1, said sleeve being provided with pulleys 352 which carry chains 53 for shifting the plow beams when elevating or lowerin the plows` a handlever 54 being provided within convenient reach of the drivers seat for this operation.

As described, it will be seen that the shaft and parts connected therewith may be readily removed or placed in position, and when the tractor is used in connection with a pair o1 cultivat-ors, the beams of which are indicated at 55, the coupling-bar 38 and said shaft are removed and a pair of adjusting-blocks 56 are inserted between the bars 29 and 34 for engaging the ridges 33 and 35, and are adapted to be adjusted vertically by a rotation of the screws 32, each block 56 providing bearings for one end of a horizontal wrist-pin 57 of an arm 58 of a yoke 59 best shown in Fig. 2.

Numeral Gl) indicates a pair of springs each havingits lower end connected with a cultivator beaiii, its upper end being supported by the upper palt of the yoke, which operates as an aid when lifting cultivators from the ground. Numeral 61 indicates pair ot' comiecting-blocks carried by the wristpins, to which the cult-ivator beams are attached by suitable keepers 62.

lt will be seen that when used for cultivat ing corn or other crops arranged in rows, an operator while riding on the tractor may guide the cnltivatorbeams with his feet, as usuahor may conveniently grasp the handles titl tonguiding the cultivators, and may press them downwardly for a suitable engagement of the cultivator teeth with the ground, and when obstructions are encountered the springs (il) operate to advantage for lifting the cultivators.

When turning about" at the ends of the rows, the cultivator beams may be swung upwardly and held in an elevated position, the loops or shafts 64 with which. the beams are provided being caught u on the hooks G5 which project inwardly rom the side bars of the frame. Numeral 66' indicates wing-nuts for moving the bolts G7 vertically when it desired to adjust the tension of the springs, the upper ends of the s rin s being connected with the lower en s o said bolts. A pulley is indicated at 68 this being rotated by the engine shaft by means not shown. and useful when the parts are employed as a stationary engine. Numeral 69 indicates a canopy or top supported by means ot suitable standards 70.

lt will be noted that the upper part, of the yoke disposed a considerable distance, comparatively, from the ground, so that it will not injure growing crops when they are cultivated. By rotating the shafts 32 the yoke may be elevated to a required hei ht so that growing corn will not be injure the clearance for this purpose on account of the proportion of parts provided, being about thirty-two inches, and also the yoke may be lowered in a required degree, the springs 60 being adjusted for this purpose by the means described.

Havinr Fully described my invention, what I c aim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. In a trai-tor, a frame having substantially parallel side-bars, an engine-driven axle disposed transversely of the frame and provided with wheels a pair of Sideseetions traversed by the axle and disposed parallel with and inwardly of the side-bars each beingr provided with a vertical guide, a. pair of L-shaped bars eaeh being provided with a guide, meansfor removably connecting said L-shaped bars with tbe side-sertions for maintaining their guides parallel with the guides of said sections, grooved bearingmembers engaging said guides, and a pair 0f screws rotatable to adjust said gruoved bearing-members for a connection with ohjerts to be drawn,

2. In a tractor, a `frame having substaxr tially parallel side-bars. an engine-driven axle disposed transversely of and having bearings in the side-bars. a pair of trartioa wheels carried by the axle and disposed ont Wardly of the side-bars, a pair obl cross bars secured to the side-hars at longitudinal in-A tervals thereof, a pair of side-seetions each having a horizontal part traversed by the axle and secured to the cross bar and having an upright part provided Ywith a ridge1 a.

f3. In a tractor, a frame having substan- "itially parallel side-bars. an engine-driven :xledisposeifl transversely' of' the frame and provided with wheels, a pair of side-soutiens disposed parallel with and extending below the side-bars each heilig' provided with a vertical guide. a pair of holder-bars each having a vertical part provided with a guide and disposed adjacent to the end of a section with its guide parallel with the guide thereof, a pair of grooved members for a connection with objects to be drawn, eaeh grooved member being in engagement with a guide of a section and a guide of a holderbar, means to adjust the gromcd members longitudinally of the guides, each holder-bar being provided with a horizontal part for a. rigid mounting on a section.

In testimony whereof, l have affixed my signature impresenee of two witnesses.

HENRY OLERICH. lVitnesses ARTHUR H. STURGES, Humm A. Simmons 

